Kinder Art Gallery

I made a long overdue return to the Kinder plateau yesterday as I walked the Edale Skyline. There are multiple versions of this walk and mine runs from Edale village, up to Ringing Roger around the edge to the head of Grindsbrook Clough, then out to Crowden Tower, down to the Pennine Way then out to Brown Knoll, Rushup Edge, Mam Tor, along to Hollins Cross then down the hill to Edale. Its a superb ridge walk, with a short sharp climb to begin but then nothing too demanding until the little pull up to Mam Tor summit. The three or four miles of bog trotting across Brown Knoll is the only slightly negative part of the whole walk.

I had hoped to take my new camera with me on this walk, but the case I ordered for it in the week hadn’t arrived in time, so I was still using my trusty Fuji F11, which has served me well for three years now.

The main reason for the walk was to try and get some shots of the stunning rock formations that litter the edge of the plateau, from Ringing Roger to the Woolpacks and Pym Chair to lesser unnamed rocks that have been sculpted into true masterpieces by wind and water over the years.

Even though the mist was down for much of my walk yesterday I had splendid things to see much closer to hand – I could have spent an hour just wandering around the Woolpacks – it’s an art gallery in the hills!

I thought this looked like a face (with a quiff) with its eyes closed

This one looks like a huge sheep dropping

Another mulit-layer boulder

This one is riddled with holes, including one large enough to be a sink

This one really could be modern art

Standing on its own in the middle of the path this huge overhang would shelter me at a pinch

This Totem Pole rock is part of the Woolpacks

As is this distinctive finger (or phallus perhaps)

Another fascinating shape within the Woolpacks

This looks like a scowling man, with huge brows

An ancient battle tank perhaps